It has been one of the most fascinating offseasons in recent memory, and though there are still some free-agent stragglers out there—and there are still trade possibilities—most teams are done with maneuvering until training camp arrives (which happens in two short months, by the way).

Now, then, seems like a logical time to sift through the rubble of this summer, and declare some winners. And some losers.

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Winners: Rockets

Last June, the machinations of Rockets general manager Daryl Morey drew much head-scratching, as he jettisoned salary and collected a horde of draft picks.

It paid off, twofold. First, the Rockets got guard James Harden, a luxury-tax casualty in Oklahoma City, and Morey completed the turnaround by prying star center Dwight Howard from the Lakers this summer.

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Clippers

Chris Paul was the biggest free-agent name on the market, and once the Clippers were able to secure coach Doc Rivers—who could go down as the best coach in franchise history—Paul was on board, signing a max deal.

Rivers, also taking the reins when it comes to personnel moves, showed himself to be adept in that regard, bringing in shooters Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick, while also adding veteran backup guard Darren Collison. They did have to give up guard Eric Bledsoe, but it was unlikely the team would have been able to afford him anyway.

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Nets

It’s an all-or-nothing approach for Brooklyn now, as they added vets Paul Pierce (soon to be 36) and Kevin Garnett (already 37) in hopes that they will bring professionalism and passion to a team that was lacking heart in last year’s pitiful playoff showing.

Throw in the addition of small forwards Andrei Kirilenko and Alan Anderson at rock-bottom prices, and the Nets might have vaulted themselves to the top of the East, at least for this season.

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Pacers forward Luis Scola

Scola was languishing in Phoenix, where the Suns are deep in a rebuilding mode, when the Pacers came to the rescue, executing a trade to bring him to a contender in Indiana.

Scola is 33 and has been slipping over the last two years, but he can still be an effective bench producer, averaging 12.8 points last season. The Pacers had a weak bench last year, but the addition of Scola, C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland, as well as Danny Granger’s return, will change that.

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Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans

Because the Kings are undergoing an ownership and front-office overhaul, Evans might have been headed for restricted free-agency limbo, until the Pelicans stepped in with a surprising four-year offer worth $44 million.

Evans accepted, and though he might wind up with a bench role behind Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon, he will have a legitimate shot at making the postseason for the first time in his career.

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Losers: Lakers

In the end, everything could work out. Obviously, things hadn’t gone well with Dwight Howard last year, and losing him to Houston wasn’t seen as particularly tragic among some Laker fans, especially with a vast expanse of cap space going into next year’s bountiful free-agent period.

But having cap space does not necessarily yield star players—remember when the Knicks missed out on LeBron James and instead got Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton? Worse, the Lakers never have lost out on top free agents, until now.

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Mavericks

Now they’re 0-for-2. Dallas has been meticulous with its salary flexibility, and figured the lure of playing with Dirk Nowitzki might have been enough to get Deron Williams last year, and/or Dwight Howard this year.

Instead, the Mavs got neither and are moving forward with the likes of Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis and Devin Harris.

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Nets forward Andrei Kirilenko

Kirilenko surprised the Timberwolves by opting out of the $10 million he would have made next season, and when he hit the market, there were few takers.

It has been suggested that he had a backroom deal to go to Brooklyn, and that may be true, but Kirilenko took some credence away from that notion Thursday by saying he opted out to re-sign with the Wolves, not bolt for the Nets. Either way, on the surface, at least, he cost himself about $7 million by signing with the Nets.

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Thunder

Oklahoma City had James Harden as its sixth man when the Thunder went to the Finals two years ago. The luxury tax forced the downgrade to Kevin Martin last year—not a bad alternative—but the Thunder did not re-sign Martin this summer and missed out on Dorrell Wright.

That means the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook duo will have to lean on a youngster off the bench, whether it is Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb or Perry Jones.

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Bobcats

It is no easy task to draw free agents to Charlotte, not when the team has gone 28-120 in the last two years. But to give Al Jefferson a three-year, $40 million contract is a pretty big stretch even for a team desperate for a free-agent upgrade.

Jefferson is a very solid offensive center, but his defensive shortcomings have created problems wherever he has gone, and he has been in just 11 playoff games in eight NBA seasons.